With this school year coming to an end, many different activities are approaching for students to take part in. 

A common topic for discussion right now is prom, a memorable night in students’ high school academic career many frantically prepare for. Students all around the world make great efforts to try to make the most out of prom night. Like many schools, Millikan High School has decided to make prom on May 11, from eight to eleven, strictly for Juniors and Seniors. 

Personally, I believe that this is fair but to the lowerclassmen, this could be seen as unfair. There are a few good reasons why prom should be reserved exclusively for juniors and seniors because it marks a big milestone in their high school journey. 

By limiting attendance to prom strictly for upperclassmen, it ensures students have reached a certain level of maturity and responsibility. Also, juniors and seniors have likely been involved in the school community for a few more years than other students, making prom a meaningful culmination of their high school experience. These students must work hard for this coming of age experience and cherish this memory. 

Restricting prom to juniors and seniors makes the event more memorable and enjoyable for those who attend. That is why we should make attendance to these dances for all. The other dances that Millikan hosts are winter formal, homecoming, and prom. 

While expanding prom attendance to include freshmen and sophomores could be a good idea, I think it would just be better to keep dances separate. Allowing underclassmen to participate in prom provides a place where maturity is essential, a skill which many lowerclassmen lack.

Stevie Cade, a senior in COMPASS said, “I think there should be a dance for lowerclassmen because sometimes they don’t know how to act and can cause problems, like petty fights and disruption overall.”

 Overall, providing students with more dances enhances school spirit, creates inclusivity, and creates lasting memories for students throughout their high school years. I believe that lowerclassmen just think that not being allowed to prom is unfair because they feel left out of one of the few dances we have.

There are many reasons why upperclassmen deserve a night to themselves that they earned, but so do lowerclassmen. Dance nights are such a big milestone in high school and I think everyone should be allowed to have a great time.